Halloween

    It's been several years now that Halloween has a been a heated topic online between followers of Christ, and every year it's something that just nags away at my mind. I try to ignore the voices and opinions coming from every direction, but I've reached a point where I suppose it's one of the topics I should write about. I wanted to keep this post free from specific examples of activities or decor, as it's really about one specific principle and not any of the superfluous details. Hopefully it comes across clearly. 

    I realize this has always been a point of contention among Christians, but the internet is a breeding ground for debates; online it has really become a vile spitting match with each condemning the other. Accusations of being "lukewarm" are being thrown from both sides, and ironically when we break this down, neither side fits that designation! Both sides are absolutely on fire with zeal for their position from a Biblical standpoint, that's not being lukewarm. Clearly, this topic has been hijacked by the enemy to sow divisions and pit us against each other. We'd do good to remember Proverbs 6:16-19 and stay away from "sending forth contentions between brethren". 

    It's actually curious that we have one side trying to claim Halloween (All Hallows Eve) is a Christian holiday, and the other claiming the exact opposite. I think there's historical evidence for both, though I lean toward it being pagan. But the thing is, that's actually irrelevant to the principle being argued about here. Let's read 1 Corinthians 8:4-7:

4 Concerning the eating then of the things sacrificed to idols, we have known that an idol [is] nothing in the world, and that there is no other God except one;

5 for even if there are those called gods, whether in heaven, whether upon earth -- as there are gods many and lords many --

6 yet to us [is] one God, the Father, of whom [are] the all things, and we to Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom [are] the all things, and we through Him;

7 but not in all men [is] the knowledge, and certain with conscience of the idol, till now, as a thing sacrificed to an idol do eat [it], and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.

    It's clear here (and in other verses), that what one person does or perceives, in no way transfers immutably to another. As Christians we know that idols are nothing, therefore a food sacrificed to an idol is similarly nothing, it's just food. The pagan's beliefs have no power. They have no power over the food and no power over you. In fact, this verse (and again, many others) actually state that you are weak in your faith if you think that an object is harmful to you because of the way a pagan thinks about it, or the way they dedicate it to something. This seems to be VERY hard for many people to grasp so I will try to say it another way. 

    If YOU believe that the food sacrificed to an idol is tainted, and you choose to eat it anyway, then you are consciously choosing to partake in evil. You think it's evil, you do it anyway, your conscience is defiled. 

    On the other hand, if you give no legitimacy to the pagan's idols and dedications, the food is just food. If you KNOW the truth, that the idols are fake and "nothing" as the verse states, then you can't be defiled by nothing. It's all about your conscience. It's about whether you would knowingly disregard evil and do the thing anyway. But the object (food in this case) is inanimate. It's not evil. You create the evil in your conscience. It further goes to say in verse 8 that "victuals do not commend us to God"; that whether we partake or do not partake we are neither better off nor worse off. It's just food, you're no better from abstaining, you're no better for eating it. 

This exact principle is stated also in Romans 14:5-6:

5. One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike, Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. 

6. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord, and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not and giveth God thanks. 

Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. If you are persuaded that idols have power over you; and you ignore that, then you are doing evil. If you know that idols (nothing) have no power over you, then there is simply nothing to even consider. The idolatrous foods, celebrations, dedications; they are nonsense, nothing, irrelevant to you as a follower of Christ. Give them no heed whatsoever. 

    So, when we break it down, this is the principle at hand when we debate "Celebrating Halloween". If you regard it as evil and do it anyway, yeah you're going to be held accountable to God for that. You are knowingly doing something that you believe is evil. And the Bible is crystal clear that the flip side of this is also true. There are, of course, behaviors that ARE inherently evil. But nothing that modern Christians do with their kids on October 31st falls into that category. Again, nothing that modern CHRISTIANS, do with their kids, falls into that category.

Now, 1 Corinthians 8 does go on to say in verse 9: "Take heed lest by any means, this LIBERTY of yours become a stumbling block to THEM THAT ARE WEAK." 

Meaning, you don't let the weak in Christ take away your freedom in Christ. Being set free from the chains of superstition and the intrusive thoughts of the adversary is not something you let the weak take away from you. But YOU, knowing that they don't yet understand this freedom, and are bound in their conscience by the thoughts of the idolatrous.. don't rub their noses in it. Don't badger them about doing what you do or thinking what you think or knowing what you know. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.